New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, our mission is to preserve, document, and share family history and stories from across New York State. We engage with genealogists, biographers, historians, and organizations to establish the broader contexts of New York’s past. We actively foster connections between New York’s past and present.  ​For the past 150 years, we have been preserving valuable genealogical and historical records, producing peer-reviewed genealogical scholarship, and providing crucial resources to help amateur and professional genealogists navigate New York genealogy research.

The NYG&B’s Digitize New York initiative seeks to empower and educate communities across New York State in the preservation of at-risk historical documents. Many historical societies, churches, and town hall offices as well as researchers hold at-risk documents that they are unable to digitize because of lack of staff or financial resources. To help preserve important records and improve access for people conducting New York family history research, the NYG&B launched the Digitize New York initiative in 2023. Through this initiative, the NYG&B is partnering with organizations across New York State to digitize these records and make them available online. The William G. Pomeroy Foundation first supported Digitize New York through a pilot preservation and outreach project in Central New York. Organizations can either submit their records for preservation at one of the NYG&B’s Digitization Centers or request a digitization kit that empowers them to preserve and upload records at their own sites—at no cost to participating organizations.